Public Health Standards

Refining Eugene’s land use code for industrial development

The City of Eugene is committed to supporting a healthy built environment for all community members, as well as an economic climate where businesses can grow and thrive. Land use planning is one way the City can encourage development where residents have access to clean air and water and opportunity for economic prosperity.

Project Background

This project will identify possible changes to Eugene’s land use regulations to address the concerns of residents living near industrial areas within the City of Eugene. Through this project, the City will:

• Engage residents, businesses, and community organizations on possible changes.
• Identify gaps in local, state, and federal regulation of industrial development.
• Consider enhanced land use regulations for new or expanded industrial developments located near residential zones, parks, schools, and other sensitive areas in order to mitigate community health risks.
• Gather additional recommendations for future changes to City policy, zoning of properties, programs and investments, or other ways to make changes through land use planning.

The City’s land use code already regulates industrial development in many ways, and under some circumstances, land use regulations can fill gaps and/or prevent future impacts on people living nearby. However, Eugene’s land use code is not always the most appropriate and effective tool for regulating pollution, noise, odors, light, or other environmental impacts. This project will consider enhancements to industrial development standards citywide, including, but not limited to:

• Requiring more distance between new industrial developments and residential or other sensitive areas, through tools such as setbacks, buffer areas, and landscaping.
• Increasing coordination between land use application processes and other approvals (such as traffic impact studies, clean air permitting, or other requirements)
• Other tools identified through research and community engagement

City Council Action

On June 18, 2025, Eugene City Council directed staff to take the following next steps on the Public Health Standards project:

Action 1: Draft land use code amendments to require that an applicant demonstrate, prior to the issuance of City Development permits, that either:

• the applicant has been issued all necessary licenses and permits from pollution control agencies like the Lane Regional Air Protection Agency (LRAPA) and Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), or
• the applicant has applied for the necessary licenses and permits, and the licenses and permits are likely to be issued.

Action 2: Upon completion of a Hazard and Risk Analysis Study, led by the City's Sustainability Program, draft potential land use code amendments informed by the results of the study.

Staff will begin drafting land use code amendments to advance the first action in summer 2025. More information on the Hazard and Risk Analysis Study, noted in the second action, will be available soon. The Study should be completed within 9-12 months, anticipated by summer 2026.

Project Timeline

Staff anticipate the following milestones for this project:

• Winter – Spring 2025: Community Engagement, Research on Best Practices, Identify Possible Paths Forward
• Summer 2025: City Council direction on next steps; draft initial changes to the Land Use Code
• Summer 2026: Anticipated completion of Hazard and Risk Analysis Study, informing additional changes to the Land Use Code

Community Engagement

Between January and May 2025, the project team organized both small- and large-group conversations to provide the opportunity to connect with specific communities. Over this time, the team connected with 250+ individuals across 19 meetings and events, analyzed 209 survey responses, and reached out to 18,500+ individuals through online information sharing platforms.

Community engagement efforts focused on better understanding community views and perceptions of the issue and whether the land use code is the right tool to help address those concerns. Staff reached out to a broad spectrum of community members, including affected neighborhood groups, businesses, and environmental and community groups.

Read the Community Engagement Summary here.

Use the Q&A function below to ask questions for staff.